Star-struck Japan PM befriends Facebook's Zuckerberg — (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda frequently entertains dignitaries from all over the world, but he was a touch star-struck on Thursday when he hosted a young billionaire with a whiff of celebrity: Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg in China: Let the Rumors Begin — HONG KONG — Mark Zuckerberg was spotted walking around Shanghai on Tuesday, which naturally led to a spike in online speculation about Facebook entering the Chinese market. — He said he was just on vacation with his girlfriend, Priscilla Chan.

OH NO: Apple TV Isn't Coming Until 2013, Says Research Group — Most analysts say Apple will release an Apple TV this year. — Not Asian research group CLSA, which said in a note this morning that it thinks it comes out in 2013. — We don't have the full note, just a brief of what they said, which is included below.

The Foxconn-Sharp Alliance is all about Apple's Coming HDTV — Yesterday, Apple was granted a very interesting and important patent regarding a very specific TV Display technology. The patent basically related to Apple's advancement of a little known technology called Fringe Field Switching (FSS).

Dell Ends Smartphone Sales in the US — Dell has stopped selling smartphones in the U.S. as it tweaks its mobile strategy to focus more on emerging markets and higher-margin products. — Dell has nixed its last standing Venue and Venue Pro smartphones and no replacements have been announced.

Apple's War on Android — In her black robe and strand of white pearls, Lucy Koh projects the serious, deliberate demeanor befitting a U.S. District Court judge. The Harvard-educated former federal prosecutor has served on the California state bench and as a partner in a Silicon Valley law firm …

Tumblr hits 20 billion posts, nears 50 million hosted blogs — New York City-based sharing service Tumblr continues to grow at an incredible pace, hitting 20 billion posts on Monday night, doubling in size in just over 6 months. — Understated in its response to the milestone, the Tumblr team posted a tweet to notify its followers:

New U.S. Research Will Aim at Flood of Digital Data — The federal government is beginning a major research initiative in big data computing. The effort, which will be announced on Thursday, involves several government agencies and departments, and commitments for the programs total $200 million.

MegaUpload lawyer claims the feds are impeding its defense — The U.S. government has refused to allow the MegaUpload defendants access to information on their servers, which in turn is impeding their ability to defend themselves, the company's lawyer told CNET. — MegaUpload founder Kim DotCom.

Turn your tweets into toilet paper with the new startup, S**tter — What if you could take all those tweets you blast out during the day and ruminate on them in a place where your mind is free to wander and relax. Introducing S**tter, a new startup that, for just $35, will turn your tweet stream into four rolls of toilet paper.

iPod Nation: Half of US Homes Own Apple Products — Half of all U.S. households own at least one Apple product, according to CNBC's All-America Economic survey. — That's more than 55 million homes with at least one iPhone, iPad, iPod or Mac computer. And one-in-10 homes that aren't currently …